Die emitting white light

ABSTRACT

Various methods and apparatuses are disclosed. A method may include disposing at least one die on a location on a carrier substrate, forming at least one stud bump on each of at least one die, forming a phosphor layer on the at least one stud bump and the at least one die, removing a top portion of the phosphor layer to expose the at least one stud bump, and removing a side portion of the phosphor layer located between two adjacent dies. An apparatus may include a die comprising top, bottom, and side surfaces. A phosphor layer may be disposed on the top, bottom, and side surfaces of the die. The phosphor layer may have substantially equal thicknesses on the top and side surfaces of the die as well as one or more stud bumps disposed on the top surface of the die.

BACKGROUND Field

The present disclosure relates generally to a light emitting device and,more particularly, to a die emitting white light.

Background

A light emitting device may include one or more dies that emit light ofvarious colors. In some configurations, a die may emit blue light. Whenblue light passes through a phosphor layer, the blue light may beconverted to white light. Varying thicknesses of the phosphor layer maycause the blue light to be converted to varying shades of white light.In some applications, variations in the shade of the white light may beundesirable. To prevent variations in the shade of the white light, thephosphor layer should be uniform. Accordingly, there is a need for animproved white light emitting die having a uniform layer of phosphorsurrounding the light emitting portions of the die.

SUMMARY

Several aspects of the present invention will be described more fullyhereinafter with reference to various embodiments of LED dies that emitwhite light and methods used to fabricate LED dies that emit whitelight.

One aspect of a method used to fabricate LED dies that emit white lightis disclosed. A method may include disposing at least one die on alocation on a carrier substrate based on fiducial markings on thecarrier substrate, forming at least one stud bump on each of at leastone die, forming a phosphor layer on the at least one stud bump and theat least one die, removing a top portion of the phosphor layer to exposethe at least one stud bump, and removing a side portion of the phosphorlayer located between two adjacent dies.

One aspect of LED dies that emit white light is disclosed. An apparatusmay include a die comprising a top surface and a side surface, aphosphor layer disposed on the top surface and the side surface of thedie, the phosphor layer having substantially equal thickness on the topand side surfaces of the die, and one or more stud bumps disposed on thetop surface of the die.

Another aspect of LED dies that emit white light is disclosed. Anapparatus may include means for disposing at least one die on a locationon a carrier substrate based on fiducial markings on the carriersubstrate, means for forming at least one stud bump on each of at leastone die, means for forming a phosphor layer on the at least one studbump and the at least one die, means for removing a top portion of thephosphor layer to expose the at least one stud bump, and means forremoving a side portion of the phosphor layer located between twoadjacent dies.

It is understood that other aspects of apparatuses and methods willbecome readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the followingdetailed description, wherein various aspects of apparatuses and methodsare shown and described by way of illustration. As will be realized,these aspects may be implemented in other and different forms and itsseveral details are capable of modification in various other respects.Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded asillustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various aspects of apparatuses and methods will now be presented in thedetailed description by way of example, and not by way of limitation,with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1A is a top view illustration of a carrier substrate.

FIG. 1B is a side view illustration of the carrier substrate.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are side view illustrations before and after dies areplaced on the carrier substrate, respectively.

FIG. 3 is a side view illustration of dies after phosphor is formed onthe dies.

FIG. 4 is a side view illustration of dies after a top portion of thephosphor is removed.

FIG. 5A is a side view illustration of dies after a side portion of thephosphor is removed.

FIG. 5B is an enlarged side view illustration of one of the diesillustrated in FIG. 5A.

FIGS. 6A-6D are side view illustrations showing the removal of the diesfrom the carrier substrate.

FIG. 7A is a side view illustration showing an example of dies having aphosphor layer on top, bottom and side surfaces.

FIG. 7B is a top view illustration of an example circuitry providingcurrent to the dies.

FIGS. 8A-8C are flowcharts illustrating exemplary methods used infabricating LED dies that emit white light.

FIG. 9 is a diagram of an apparatus configured to perform variousfunctions to fabricate LED dies that emit white light.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects of the disclosure will be described more fullyhereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. This disclosuremay, however, be embodied in many different forms by those skilled inthe art and should not be construed as limited to any specific structureor function presented herein. Rather, these aspects are provided so thatthis disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey thescope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art. Based on theteachings herein, one skilled in the art should appreciate that thescope of the disclosure is intended to cover any aspect of thisdisclosure, whether implemented independently of or combined with anyother aspect of the disclosure. For example, an apparatus may beimplemented or a method may be practiced using any number of the aspectsset forth herein. In addition, the scope of the disclosure is intendedto cover such an apparatus or method which is practiced using otherstructure and/or functionality in addition to or instead of otheraspects of this disclosure. It should be understood that any aspect ofthe disclosure disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elementsof a claim.

Although particular aspects will be described herein, many variationsand permutations of these aspects fall within the scope of thedisclosure. Although some benefits and advantages of the preferredaspects are mentioned, the scope of the disclosure is not intended to belimited to particular benefits, uses, or objectives. Rather, aspects ofthe disclosure are intended to be broadly applicable to differentcircuits, technologies, systems, networks, and methods, some of whichare illustrated by way of example in the drawings and in the followingdescription. The detailed description and drawings are merelyillustrative of the disclosure rather than limiting, the scope of thedisclosure being defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

FIG. 1A is a top view illustration 100 of a carrier substrate 102. FIG.1B is a side view 120 illustration of the carrier substrate 102. Thecarrier substrate 102 may be constructed from quartz, invar, or glass,or any other material with low expansion in the presence of heat. Thecarrier substrate 102 may have a number of fiducial markings 104, 106,108. A fiducial marking 104, 106, 108 may be a reference point withtolerances of +/−0.25 microns. A camera (not shown) may detect thepresence and location of the fiducial marking 104, 106, 108 on thecarrier substrate 102. A processing system (not shown) associated withthe camera may perform certain operations based on the detected fiducialmarkings 104, 106, 108. In some embodiments, different fiducial markingsare used for different operations. For example, one fiducial marking canbe used for placing die onto the carrier substrate, another fiducialmarking can be used for laser ablation, and another fiducial marking canbe used for cutting the carrier. In other embodiments, a single fiducialmarking can be used for multiple operations. For example, in someembodiments, a single fiducial marking can be used for placing the die,laser ablation, and dicing.

In one embodiment, fiducial marking 108 is used to determine thespecific location to place a die. For example, the camera may detectfiducial marking 108 and the processing system may determine that one ormore dies are to be disposed inside of the region defined by thefiducial marking 108. After the camera detects fiducial marking 108, theprocessing system may instruct a mechanical apparatus (not shown)associated with the processing system to dispose (i.e., pick-and-place)a die inside of the region defined by fiducial marking 108.

After the dies are disposed on the carrier substrate, laser ablation orsaw cutting may be performed with respect to a region/distance 110between fiducial markings 108, as will be discussed further below withrespect to FIG. 5A. For example, the camera may detect fiducial markings106, and the computer system may determine the location to perform laserablation based on fiducial markings 106, as will be discussed furtherbelow with respect to FIG. 5A. Because phosphor may be added on/aroundthe dies located within fiducial markings 108, fiducial markings 108 maybe covered with phosphor and thereby not visible to the camera when theprocessing system is determining the location to perform laser ablationor saw cutting. Because fiducial markings 106 are located at theperiphery of the carrier substrate 102, fiducial markings 106 are lesslikely to be covered with phosphor (which is added on/around fiducialmarkings 108) and thereby more likely to be visible to the camera whenthe processing system is determining the location to perform laserablation.

FIG. 2A is a side view illustration 200 of the carrier substrate 102before any dies are placed on the carrier substrate 102. In someembodiments, before any dies are placed on the carrier substrate 102, atransparent tape 202 is formed on the carrier substrate 102. Because thetransparent tape 202 is transparent, the fiducial markings 104, 106, 108on the carrier substrate 102 may be visible to a camera even after thetransparent tape 202 is added to the carrier substrate 102 (see FIG.1A). The transparent tape 202 may have adhesive properties, which mayallow the transparent tape 202 to adhere to the carrier substrate 102.The thickness of the transparent tape 202 may be highly uniform suchthat the top of each die 204 is substantially coplanar with the top ofeach other die 204.

FIG. 2B is a side view illustration 220 of the carrier substrate 102after dies 204 are placed on the carrier substrate 102. Dies 204 may beseparated by a region/distance 110. The transparent tape 202 may alsohave adhesive properties that allow the dies 204 to adhere to thetransparent tape 202. As will be discussed with respect to FIG. 6B, theadhesive strength of the transparent tape 202 may diminish when exposedto ultraviolet (UV) light, thereby allowing the transparent tape 202 toseparate from the carrier substrate 102 and/or dies 204.

FIG. 3 is a side view illustration 300 of the carrier substrate 102after stud bumps 302 and a phosphor layer 304 have been formed on thedies 204. Each die 204 may have one or more stud bumps 302 formed on thedie 204. A stud bump 302 may have gold, copper, or any othernon-corroding metal. The stud bump 302 may provide an electricalconnection between the die 204 and fingers 752 that provide connectivityto a current source 754 (see FIG. 7B).

The quantity, metal-type, and width of the stud bump may affect the ratethat current can be provided to the die 204. Further, each carriersubstrate 102 may hold one or more dies 204. Although some of theexamples described herein include five dies 204 and two stud bumps 302for each die 204, one or ordinary skill in the art will appreciate thatalternative examples with different numbers of dies 204 and stud bumps302 may be implemented without deviating from the scope of the presentdisclosure.

After at least one stud bump 302 has been formed on the dies 204, aphosphor layer 304 may be formed on the dies 204 and stud bumps 302. Asshown in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the phosphor layer 304may be formed by spraying a layer of phosphor on the dies 204 and studbumps 302. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the phosphor layer 304 conforms tothe shape of the dies 204 and stud bumps 302. In some embodiments, thephosphor layer 304 may be formed by forming a conformal phosphor layeron the dies 204 and stud bumps 302. In other embodiments, the phosphorlayer 304 may be formed by applying a phosphor sheet over the dies 204and stud bumps 302.

Each stud bump 302 may have substantially the same height 306. Thephosphor layer 304 may have a thickness 308 that is equal to or greaterthan the height of the stud bumps 302. A purpose for the thickness ofthe phosphor layer 304 being equal to the height of the stud bumps 302will be discussed with respect to FIG. 4.

After the phosphor layer 304 is formed on the dies 204 and stud bumps302, the phosphor layer 304 may be cured using various techniques knownby one of ordinary skill in the art. After the phosphor layer is cured,a top portion of the phosphor layer 304 may be removed, as is discussedwith respect to FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 illustrates a side view illustration 400 after a top portion ofthe phosphor layer 304 has been removed. A purpose of removing the topportion of the phosphor layer is to expose the top of the stud bumps 302such that an electrical connection can eventually be made between thestud bumps 302 and the fingers 752 connected to the current source 754(see FIG. 7B). As shown in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the topportion of the phosphor layer may be removed using a lapping procedurethat laps a top portion of the phosphor layer and, possibly, the studbumps 302. Lapping may involve grinding, cutting, or otherwise removinga portion of the phosphor layer 304 and, possibly, the stud bumps 302.Lapping may be performed along the plane 402, as illustrated in FIG. 4.By lapping the top portion of the phosphor layer 304 along a singleplane 402, the height 306 of the phosphor layer on the top of the dies204 may be substantially equal among the various dies 204 on the carriersubstrate 102. Also, since the height 308 of the phosphor layer 304 isequal to at least the height 306 of the stud bumps 302, as previouslydiscussed with respect to FIG. 3, the thickness 306 of the phosphorlayer 304 after the top portion of the phosphor layer 304 is removedwill be substantially equal among the various dies 204 on the carriersubstrate 102.

As a result of the lapping procedure, a small portion of the top segmentof the stud bumps 302 may protrude above the top of the phosphor layer304. In some embodiments, the top portion of the phosphor layer 304 maybe removed using laser ablation. If laser ablation is used to remove atop portion of the phosphor layer 304, the stud bumps 302 may remainuncut (unlike lapping, which may result in cutting/grinding/polishing ofa top portion of the stud bumps 302, as previously discussed). Also, iflaser ablation is used, the top segment of the stud bump 302 may notprotrude above the top of the phosphor layer 304.

FIG. 5A is a side view illustration 500 after a side portion of thephosphor layer 304 has been removed. FIG. 5B is an enlarged side viewillustration of one phosphorized die 520. As illustrated in theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 5A, laser ablation 502 may be used toremove the side portion of the phosphor layer 304. The location wherelaser ablation 502 may be performed may be based on the fiducial marks(e.g., 106 in FIG. 1A) on the carrier substrate 102. For example, acamera may detect the location of the fiducial mark 106 on the peripheryof the carrier substrate, and a processing system associated with thecamera may determine the location to perform the laser ablation 502.

After the location to perform laser ablation 502 has been determined,laser ablation 502 can be performed to remove a side portion of thephosphor layer 304. The removed side portion begins from the top portionof the phosphor layer 304 and may extend to the bottom portion of thephosphor layer 304. As illustrated in FIG. 5A, laser ablation may notremove any portion of the transparent tape 202 and/or carrier substrate102.

The die 204 may emit a particular color of light (e.g., blue light). Asthat emitted light travels through the phosphor layer 304, the color ofthe light may convert to a different color (e.g., white light).Different thicknesses of the phosphor layer may result in differentshades of white light. Accordingly, a phosphor layer 304 with uniformthickness may allow the die to emit a single shade of white light. Aspreviously discussed, uniform thickness of the phosphor layer 304 may bedesirable.

The top portion 304′ and side portion 304″ of the phosphor layer haverespective thicknesses of 306 and 508. To achieve a phosphor layer 304with uniform thickness, the thickness 306 of the top portion 304′ shouldbe substantially equal to the thickness 508 of the side portion 304″.

The width 504 of the removed side portion of the phosphor layer 304 maybe based on the region/distance 110 between two adjacent dies 204 (seeFIGS. 1A, 1B). There may be an inverse relationship between width 504and region/distance 110. As the region/distance 110 increases, the width504 of the removed side portion of the phosphor layer 304 may increasein order to provide a die 204 with a uniform layer of phosphor 304.

As a result of laser ablation 502, bum marks may form in areas wherelaser ablation 502 was performed. For example, a side surface of thephosphor layer 304″ may have a burn mark indicating laser ablation 502.In some embodiments, the burn marks may extend between a top portion ofthe side surface of the phosphor layer 304′ and a bottom portion of theside surface of the phosphor layer 304′. In some embodiments, the bummarks have a color that is different from a color of the phosphor layer304′, 304″.

In some embodiments, the burn marks are unassociated with the stud bumps302. As previously discussed with respect to FIG. 4, laser ablation maybe used to remove a top portion of the phosphor layer in order to exposethe stud bump(s) 302. When laser ablation is used to remove a topportion (i.e., not a side portion) of phosphor located above a stud bump302, the burn mark may be associated with the stud bump 302. However,when laser ablation is used to remove a portion of phosphor locatedbetween two adjacent dies, as discussed with respect to FIG. 5A, theburn mark may be located sufficiently distant from the stud bumps 302 soas to be unassociated with the stud bumps 302.

The side surface of the phosphor layer 304″ may have a thicknesstolerance that is less than 25 microns. The top surface of the phosphorlayer 304′ may have a thickness tolerance less than 25 microns.

As a result of laser ablation or saw cutting, the bottom 510 of the die204 and the bottom 506 of the phosphor layer may be coplanar, asillustrated in FIG. 5B. If laser ablation 502 is not used to remove thephosphor between two adjacent dies 204 (e.g., two adjacent dies 204 areseparated by cutting or precision sawing), the bottom 510 of the die 204and the bottom 506 of the phosphor layer 304 may not be coplanar.

FIGS. 6A-6D are side view illustrations 600, 620, 640, 660 showing theremoval of the dies 204 from the carrier substrate 102. After laserablation or saw-cutting is performed, a top tape 602 may be attached toa top side of the phosphorized dies 520, as shown in the illustration600 in FIG. 6A. After the top tape 602 attaches to the phosphorized dies520, UV light 604 may be applied through the carrier substrate 102, asshown in the illustration 620 in FIG. 6B. As previously discussed, UVlight may cause the strength of the adhesive properties of thetransparent tape 202 to decrease to an extent that will allow thephosphorized dies 520 to be removed from the transparent tape 202, asshown in the illustration 640 in FIG. 6C. The carrier substrate 102 maybe reused/recycled in the apparatuses and methods disclosures herein.Afterwards, as shown in the illustration 660 in FIG. 6D, a bottom tape604 may be applied to a bottom side of the phosphorized dies 520, andthe top tape 602 may be detached from the phosphorized dies 520. Thebottom tape 604 may sometimes be referred to as a ‘blue tape.’

FIG. 7A is a side view illustration 700 of dies 204 having a phosphorlayer 702 on top, bottom, and side surfaces. As illustrated in FIG. 7A,in some configurations, the dies 204 may have a phosphor layer 702(e.g., conformal phosphor) surrounding the top surface, the bottomsurface, and at least one side surface of the dies 204. The phosphorlayer 702 on the bottom surface of the dies 204 may contact the tape202. As previously discussed in greater detail, the tape 202 mayseparate the dies 204 (and the phosphor layers thereof) from the carriersubstrate 102. In some configurations, the carrier substrate 102 mayhave no fiducial markings, as illustrated in FIG. 7A. In some otherconfigurations, the carrier substrate may have at least some fiducialmarkings, as illustrated in FIG. 1A.

FIG. 7B is a top view illustration 750 of an example system that mayprovide current to the phosphorized dies 520. The system may include oneor more current sources 754 that each have conductive metal orconductors, sometimes referred to as fingers 752, distributed throughouta region. The fingers 752 may make contact/connections with exposedregions of the stud bumps 302, as previously discussed with respect toFIG. 4.

FIGS. 8A-8C are flowcharts illustrating example methods. The examplemethods may be performed by an apparatus. Referring to FIG. 8A, at 802,the apparatus may dispose at least one die on a location on a carriersubstrate based on fiducial markings on the carrier substrate. Forexample, referring to FIGS. 1A and 3, the apparatus may dispose a die204 in the region inside of fiducial marking 108 located on carriersubstrate 102. At 804, the apparatus may form at least one stud bump oneach of at least one die. For example, referring to FIG. 3, theapparatus may form stud bumps 302 on dies 204. At 806, the apparatus mayform a phosphor layer on the at least one stud bump and the at least onedie. For example, referring to FIG. 3, the apparatus may form phosphorlayer 304 on stud bumps 302 and dies 204. At 808, the apparatus mayremove a top portion of the phosphor layer to expose the at least onestud bump. For example, referring to FIG. 4, the apparatus may remove atop portion (e.g., any phosphor above plane 402) of phosphor layer 304to expose the top portion of stud bumps 302. At 810, the apparatus mayremove a side portion of the phosphor layer located between two adjacentdies. For example, referring to FIG. 5, the apparatus may remove a sideportion of phosphor layer 304 located between two adjacent dies 204.

In some embodiments, the dies may be disposed on a transparent tape 202(see

FIG. 2B). At 812, the apparatus may diminish the adhesive strength ofthe transparent tape and detach the at least one die from thetransparent tape. For example, referring to FIG. 6B, UV light 604 may beapplied in order to diminish the adhesive strength of the transparenttape 202. By applying UV light 604, the adhesive strength of thetransparent tape 202 may diminish, thereby allowing the dies 204 todetach from the transparent tape 202, as illustrated in FIG. 6C.

FIG. 8B illustrates additional exemplary methods. The methods may beperformed by an apparatus. The apparatus may perform the steps 802, 804,806, 808 as previously discussed with reference to FIG. 8A. In someembodiments, at 809, the apparatus may determine a location of the sidephosphor layer based on fiducial markings on the substrate carrier. Forexample, referring to FIG. 1A, the apparatus may determine the locationof the side phosphor layer to remove based on fiducial markings 106located on the carrier substrate 102. The apparatus may perform the step810 as previously discussed with reference to FIG. 8A.

FIG. 8C illustrates additional exemplary methods. The methods may beperformed by an apparatus. The apparatus may perform the steps 802, 804,806, 808 as previously discussed with reference to FIG. 8A. In someembodiments, at 809′, the apparatus may form a conductive surface on thestud bump for electrically connecting to a conductor. For example,referring to FIGS. 4 and 7, after the top portion of the phosphor layer304 is removed, the apparatus may form a conductive surface (not shown)on the stud bumps 302 for purposes of electrically connecting the studbumps 302 to fingers 752. The apparatus may perform the step 810 aspreviously discussed with reference to FIG. 8A.

The orders or hierarchies of blocks in the processes disclosed in FIGS.8A-8C are merely illustrations of various examples. Based upon designpreferences, the order and/or hierarchies of blocks in the processes maybe re-arranged, amended, and/or modified. The accompanying method claimsinclude various limitations related to a process, but the recitedlimitations are not meant to be limited in any way by the specific orderor hierarchy depicted in FIGS. 8A-8C unless expressly stated in theclaims.

FIG. 9 is a diagram of an apparatus 902 configured to perform variousfunctions. The apparatus 902 may include additional modules that performeach of the steps of the algorithm in the aforementioned flowchart ofFIGS. 8A-8C. As such, each step in the aforementioned flowchart of FIGS.8A-8C may be performed by a module and the apparatus 902 may include oneor more of those modules. The modules may be one or more software,hardware and/or mechanical components specifically configured to carryout the stated processes/algorithm, implemented by a processorconfigured to perform the stated processes/algorithm, stored within anon-transitory computer-readable medium for implementation by aprocessor, or some combination thereof.

The apparatus 902 may include an adding module 904, a removing module906, and/or a controlling module 908. A connection/bus 910 may provideinterconnectivity between modules 904, 906, 908. For example, the addingmodule 904 may be any pick-and-place machinery (e.g., AD210 ASM) knownto one of ordinary skill in the art. The removing module 906 may be anylapping or grinding machinery known to one of ordinary skill in the art.The removing module 906 may be any laser ablation machinery and/orsaw-cutting machinery known to one of ordinary skill in the art. Thecontrolling module 908 may be any processing system known to one ofordinary skill in the art. The processing system may include a processorcoupled to computer-readable medium and configured to execute softwarestored on the computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium mayalso be used for storing data that is manipulated by the processor whenexecuting software.

The adding module 904 may be configured to dispose at least one die on alocation on a carrier substrate based on fiducial markings on thecarrier substrate. The adding module 904 may be configured to form atleast one stud bump on each of at least one die. The adding module 904may be configured to form a phosphor layer on the at least one stud bumpand the at least one die. The removing module 906 may be configured toremove a top portion of the phosphor layer to expose the at least onestud bump. The removing module 906 may be configured to remove a sideportion of the phosphor layer located between two adjacent dies.

In some embodiments, the controlling module 908 may be configured todetermine a location of the side phosphor layer based on fiducialmarkings on the substrate carrier.

In some embodiments, the adding module 904 may be configured to disposethe at least one die on a transparent tape. After removing the sideportion of the phosphor layer, the controlling module 908 may beconfigured to diminish the adhesive strength of the transparent tape andthe removing module 906 may be configured to detach the at least one diefrom the transparent tape.

The apparatus 902 has already been described in detail. The apparatus902, in addition or by virtue of the modules 904, 906, 908 of theapparatus 902, provide(s) the corresponding structure(s) for thefunctions described herein.

The apparatus 902 may provide a means for disposing at least one die ona location on a carrier substrate based on fiducial markings on thecarrier substrate. The apparatus 902 may also provide a means forforming at least one stud bump on each of at least one die. Theapparatus 902 may also provide a means for forming a phosphor layer onthe at least one stud bump and the at least one die. The apparatus 902may also provide a means for removing a top portion of the phosphorlayer to expose the at least one stud bump. The apparatus 902 may alsoprovide a means for removing a side portion of the phosphor layerlocated between two adjacent dies.

In some embodiments, the apparatus 902 may also provide a means fordetermining a location of the side phosphor layer based on fiducialmarkings on the substrate carrier.

In some embodiments, the apparatus 902 may also provide a means fordisposing the at least one die on a transparent tape. The apparatus 902may also provide a means for diminishing the adhesive strength of thetransparent tape and detaching the at least one die from the transparenttape after removing the side portion of the phosphor layer.

Although various aspects of the present invention have been described assoftware implementations, those skilled in the art will readilyappreciate that the various software modules presented throughout thisdisclosure may be implemented in hardware, or any combination ofsoftware and hardware. Whether these aspects are implemented in hardwareor software depends upon the particular application and designconstraints imposed on the overall system. Those with ordinary skill inthe art may implement the described functionality in varying ways foreach particular application, but such implementation decisions shouldnot be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of theinvention.

The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled inthe art to fully understand the scope of the invention. Modifications tovarious aspects disclosed herein will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art. Accordingly, the scope of the claims will not belimited to the various exemplary embodiments provided herein.

Reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “one andonly one” unless specifically stated as such; instead, reference to anelement in the singular shall mean “one or more.” Unless specificallystated otherwise, the term “some” refers to one or more. A claim thatrecites at least one of a combination of elements (e.g., “at least oneof A, B, and C”) refers to one or more of the recited elements (e.g., A,or B, or C, or any combination thereof).

No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C.§112, sixth paragraph, unless the element is expressly recited using thephrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element isrecited using the phrase “step for.”

Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the various aspectsof this disclosure, but are to be accorded the full scope consistentwith the language of the claims. All structural and functionalequivalents to the various components of the exemplary embodimentsdescribed throughout this disclosure that are known to those of ordinaryskill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and areintended to be encompassed by the claims.

What is claimed is: 1-38. (canceled)
 39. A device for emitting light,the device comprising: at least one die comprising a top surface, anopposing bottom surface and at least one side surface extending betweenthe top and bottom surfaces; and a phosphor layer disposed on the topsurface and the at least one side surface, wherein the phosphor layercovers the top surface and the at least one side surface, such that theat least one die is configured to emit a substantially single shade oflight color.